Tips for visiting a developing country

Being Indian, I often get asked for advice — not only for visiting India, but for visiting Asia in general, especially by Europeans and Americans. If you are not from a developing country, no matter how much you prepare or read, I think you are still bound to face severe culture shock in the beginning. A few days into your trip, you will definitely get over your culture shock, but until you get there I personally think that any advice is handy.

Today I came across a nice list of such tips on Marginal Revolution, of which these are the best:(my comments in brackets)

• “Learn as quickly as you can what is safe and what is not. In Brazil taxicabs are pretty safe, in Mexico City they are not. This will take some doing and in the meantime be very careful. Have a prearranged safety net if you lose everything to a thief.”
• “Do not get drunk or patronize prostitutes. Really, it is a path to trouble and if you want to do it save it for a more familiar environment.”
• “Try out the various transportation networks in the region, the more inconvenient the better.” (One trip on a local Indian train and you will have an entirely new perspective on the country).
• “Eat the street food.” (almost nowhere in the world do they serve Indian street food like in India, this is a must — but there are huge hygiene issues. Take the vaccines and close your eyes when they are making the food — you’ll love it!)
• “Realize that you probably won’t understand all the times that people are telling you “no.” (Indians normally nod their head the same way when they say yes and no, so be careful on this one!).
• “Attend a religious ceremony or fiesta or both.” (In India, it’s not uncommon for people to crash wedding receptions. You can get away with this as the these are HUGE events and the bride’s side will think you are from the groom’s side and vice-versa. Just carry an empty white envelope with you that has “Best Compliments” written on it incase you are pushed into getting on stage and greeting the couple.)

  I’d like to add:

• Talk and befriend locals whenever you can, but be smart about it and realise that as friendly as they seem, they are probably helping you because they want something in return. However, this doesn’t mean they are going to harm you.
• Spend as much time as possible outside the “modern” areas, you’ll be surprised what you find off center.

You can have a look at the original piece here.